Bojan Miovski’s stint in Scotland looks set to be coming to an end, as the North Macedonia striker nears a transfer exit from Aberdeen to pastures new in La Liga at Girona.

You may be asking yourself: What has this got to do with Celtic? Were the club and Brendan Rodgers even remotely interested in the Dons’ main man this summer? In truth, it seems as if all of the metaphorical eggs were in the Adam Idah-shaped basket this summer for the club, with that resolution still waiting to be concluded one way or another over two months on from his last goal for Celtic. As things stand, it looks as if the Irishman will be heading back to Glasgow, according to the latest reports.

In the second of our ‘TCW Debates’, The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay and Tony Haggerty each give their views on the outgoing striker, as he prepares to net his current employers a hefty sum for his talents…

Ryan McGinlay

Why do I get this foreboding sense of doom and/or regret with Miovski – specifically missing out or not going for the North Macedonia striker?

I remember speaking about the forward back in January when Celtic were liked with his services in the winter window. Mistakenly saying the striker was not as good as Oh Hyeon-gyu (who now plays for Genk), Celtic elected to go for Idah instead of the in-form man up north. A few months on, and Miovski looks all but set to join Girona in Spain for just under £7 million, a big fee for Jimmy Thelin’s new look side.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a lot to be excited about concerning Idah’s now likely return to Celtic this summer. After all, who can forget the striker’s exploits versus the likes of Motherwell, Hibernian, Aberdeen and especially Rangers last campaign? Regardless of this massive impact last season, there is a lot of development in the Irishman’s game to work on and hone, which I don’t necessarily think is there with Miovski at present.

Eight difficult games in Europe await the club in the Champions League, which will require different tactics depending on who Celtic face in the league phase of the revamped competition. Kyogo Furuhashi will bring that agility and running in behind the opposition, though this style won’t suit every team that the club encounters. Having that focal point – especially away from home – is an important facet to have when plying your trade on the biggest stage in club football.

Miovski scored goals in the Europa Conference League as well as domestically in Scotland. The focal point for Barry Robson, Neil Warnock, Paul Leven and briefly Thelin’s respective sides from his arrival to now, he has been trusted to lead the line for many different managers in a tumultuous time at Aberdeen. I have no doubts that his game would have improved even further under Rodgers’ guidance.

Alas, it would seem as if Spain is the destination for the striker, but it does strike me as a ‘what if’ scenario with the North Macedonian. His career will be one that I will keep an eye on, with the potential to come up against the forward in the Champions League a very real possibility this season.

Here’s hoping Idah does the business and makes us all forget about the departing Aberdeen forward.

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Tony Haggerty

Let me say this straight off the bat. In an ideal world, Celtic would have signed Adam Idah and Bojan Miovski in the summer transfer window. If there is such a thing as being old school then every Celtic supporter of a certain vintage will remember the halcyon days when Celtic had three strikers on their books.

I grew up in an era when Charlie Nicholas, Frank McGarvey and George McCluskey battled for the starting jersey then the likes of Brian McClair, Mo Johnston and Alan McInally came along. Fast forward a bit and Andy Walker, Frank McAvennie and Mark McGhee strutted their stuff in a memorable Centenary Season in 1988.

The 90s were a blur as Rangers dominated the Scottish football landscape but Celtic still ended the latter part of the decade with the likes of Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Jorge Cadete and Paolo di Canio leading the line under Tommy Burns's tutelage. Then Martin O'Neill ushered in the Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, and John Hartson era. Perm any two from three of those class operators.

Even more recent times have seen the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgis Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, Jota and Liel Abada provide a spark in attack when required. Kyogo continues to wage war against Scottish opposition and European defences but nothing summed up the state of Celtic's transfer activity more at Easter Road during Sunday's 2-0 win over Hibernian when the Japanese talisman and then his replacement up front Mikey Johnston both left the field injured.

If ever there was a damning indictment of Celtic's recruitment policy in the striking department it was right there and then. Brendan Rodgers said he needed three strikers. He has one at his disposal thus far. Celtic needed another attacker in the door yesterday. It's imperative they clinch a deal for another frontman by the end of this week or there will be panic stations.

Many Celtic supporters believe that Miovski was the man to fill that void rather than Idah. It all comes down to personal preference. Is losing out on £7 million rated Miovski to Champions League-bound Girona a missed opportunity? If Rodgers had wanted Miovski then I contend that the Reds striker would have been signed by now. Idah was and remains Celtic's preferred option.

Would Celtic have paid Aberdeen a club-record transfer deal worth £7 million in add-ons for the Macedonian? Probably not. However, in light of what happened to both Kyogo and Johnston at the weekend, it now puts added pressure on the Celtic hierarchy to deliver on what looks like the club's only striking target. Miovski is undoubtedly a talent who plundered goals for Aberdeen and showed his worth at the European level by netting in the Europa League qualifiers and Europa Conference group stage for the Reds last season.

Miovski would have done a job for Celtic, of that there is no doubt. However, the Celtic manager coveted Idah more basically because he is tried and tested and fits better into the system of Rodgers's team. The Celtic supporters are now jumping up and down and many believe that Celtic have missed a trick by not signing Miovski in the transfer window. The financial wherewithal is there in abundance and there are no excuses for Celtic to be found wanting in the striking department two games into the new Scottish Premiership season.

As quirks of fate go you get the feeling that it won't be too long before Miovksi will be back in Scotland. Something tells you that Celtic will draw Girona in the new Champions League league phase to give them another timely reminder of what they missed out on. In a Bullseye style - "Here's what you could have won."

In an ideal world, Celtic should have signed both Idah and Miovski in this summer's transfer window. Nothing was stopping them. They would also have blown their city rivals' title hopes out of the water in the process. All it took was a little ambition. Something that the Celtic supporters believe those in the most powerful positions at the club lack.

Recruiting Miovski and Idah would have been the ultimate statement of intent by the club. Instead Celtic appears to be content to send out signals of distress. Letting Miovski slip through their fingers can be regarded as a misfortune. To allow the same thing to happen with Idah would be classed as carelessness.

It would drive the Celtic supporters 'Wilde'.